


Slipping Through Time

by willow redfern (persephone20)



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-06-29
Updated: 2011-10-23
Packaged: 2017-10-20 20:29:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/216801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/persephone20/pseuds/willow%20redfern
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The very first fanfic that I ever read was by a lovely writer called Tienco who wrote about Willow and Xander going back in time and falling in love with Angelus and Spike. This is my little homage from what I can remember of that story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Things went a little wrong, as things had a tendency to do, especially when 'things' were magic, and the magic practitioner was Willow Rosenberg.

The wrong-ness wasn't immediately apparent, well, maybe not to Xander, who was the stooge of the evening and acting dutifully supportive in his role of teenage-witch's-best-friend. As the smoke began to rise, Willow drew her bottom lip into her mouth and murmured a brief, embarrassed, "Oops." This was Xander's first indication that something had gone wrong.

"Uh, Will...?" was as far as he got, before blackness overtook them both, blessedly, in Xander's case, before he started flashing back to the last time magic had gone all wrong with Amy, just before the onslaught of women wanting to kill him due to a love spell gone wrong.

*

Xander grunted. Lifted a hand to his head, then winced, all before he had opened his eyes.

"What happened?"

He blinked a couple of times. He hadn't remembered Willow's room looking so... outside. Outside and cold.

His eyes widened as he realised, with sudden certainty, that this was not Willow's room. That... and that Willow wasn't with him anymore.

*

Willow's coming back to was slightly different. She frowned, and the frown screwed up her brow, behind which an unpleasant headache was just starting to beat. "Not again..." she murmured. Xander would never practice magic again without her after this.

That was when a strange music started to reach her ears, and Willow turned her head.

"Please, miss, I can't properly do your hair if you keep moving around in such a way."

Willow started in fear, causing the lady's maid from behind her to make another tsking sound. This was like that nightmare she'd always had where she was being dressed up, ready to be put on stage, without any idea of what her lines were, or even of the play she was supposed to be in.

No, this was worse. She'd had that dream so many times that she almost always knew that it was a dream as soon as she entered it, every time she entered it. There was nothing familiar about this dream.

"Miss? Miss, _please_."

Willow paused, tried to steady herself. She wasn't going to help herself or anybody else if she kept shifting. "Where am I?" she whispered, in what she thought to be a soft enough voice that nobody else would hear her.

Unfortunately for her, the lady's maid was paying her close attention. "Oh, miss, did you pass out for a little bit? Did I tie the corset too tight?" Suddenly the hands that had been proding and poking at her hair were lowering down towards her waist. All of Willow's breath left her in an instant. She was wearing a corset now? But she had never worn a corset in her life!

Apparently, her body somehow knew how to simulate the feeling of a corset being worn despite this lack of physical experience. The middle of her body felt constricted, breathing was starting to become somewhat of an issue as she continued to take shallower breaths out of fear. She couldn't have relaxed and sat back in the chair even if she had been so inclined.

Slowly, it started to come to her that this was no mere dream. Flashes of memory were coming back to her, memory that had to do with a spell in her bedroom.

 _"Come on, Xander. How am I ever going to get any better at this if I don't practice?" She could see his argument starting up and deflected it quickly, hoping that he'd see things the way she did and agree. "Buffy's patrolling tonight, and mom's back tomorrow. You know I can't practice anything while she's at home."_

 _Xander hadn't seemed happy about the agreement, but he'd agreed in any case._

 _"Just so you understand, I'm doing this under the clear understanding that there will be Cheetoos as my reward afterwards," Xander had said, with what passed for a stern expression on his face._

 _"Yes Xander," Willow replied with a quick smile for her best friend. "Cheetoos will be your reward."_

Except, he wasn't here to be rewarded. He wasn't anywhere in the room that she could see or hear. As well as that, Willow suspected, Cheetoos were a long way from wherever the heck she had ended up.

And also... Where _was_ Xander?!

*


	2. Chapter 2

Xander came to himself enough to realise that he was standing, by himself, in an alley. Well fine, not standing, sort of sitting, almost reclining, just as if he'd been knocked off his feet and had fallen there. Well, given that the last thing he could remember was taking part in a spell with Willow, that made just a little bit of sense. Didn't really help with a location, however.

There weren't really a large amount of alleyways strewn about in Sunnydale.

Picking himself up onto his feet, Xander appraised the alley around him. Brick walls. Cobblestones. A distinctly unpleasant smell as though a dog had marked their territory here. Or a human. And he was alone in the alleyway. Definitely no Willow.

Xander came to realise how much worse than this everything was just a few seconds later.

Horses and carriages rolling past, just outside of the alleyway. Strange shop fronts with blown glass windows the likes of which he'd only seen in history books that also happened to have pictures of naked women in them. Historically significant naked women. Xander really had to get around to returning those books sometime soon.

The thought was abstract, sort of a feeble way for him to hold onto any rational thinking as he stumbled out into the street in shock, his mind utterly unable to take in everything it was seeing.

"Oi! Watch out, will you?" a voice cried out from behind him, as a horse reared, then went around him. He could hear its rider ranting for a little while as he went past. "Damned homeless. Clotting up our streets. A damned menace..."

Homeless. That man thought he was homeless. Looking around him -at the ragged clothes that he'd pulled out of the pile on his floor that was just clean enough to endure another day- Xander couldn't really blame the man for the conclusion he'd come up against. He reached into his wallet reflexively, also deftly stepping out of the way before another horse and rider came past.

A twenty and two fives. Somehow, Xander didn't think that the money would be any good to him here anyway, even if the exchange rate might have meant the $30 was a lot more money back in the day. Because Xander was slow, but he wasn't dumb, and something was starting to solidify in his mind the longer he stood on this London street that, come to think of it, also looked a little bit familiar from trawling through Watcher's Diaries during research hours.

He didn't know what that spell with Willow had been about, but something about it had gone horribly wrong, and had shot him straight back into the past.

*

"There's a ball on tonight, miss."

"That's... nice." Willow was staring out of the window of the second story room that she gathered was hers. Her hair and clothes were done and she was just straining her eyes for any sight of Xander. The longer she went without seeing him, the worse she felt. What if she never found him again. What if he was stuck somewhere, or in trouble? What if he hadn't made it here like she had? How would she know? And how could she even start to think about how they could get themselves out of this mess without knowing whether he was here or not first?

"Miss!"

From the tone of voice, Willow gathered that she'd been being spoken to for some time. "I'm sorry, what is it that you want?" Her voice was hardly cultured, but she was trying to get the right kind of wording down. People weren't looking at her _too_ strangely yet. She wanted to keep it that way as long as she could.

"Aren't you excited about the ball? There will be many eligible bachelors there."

"I'm..." Willow started to shake her head, to turn back to the window and her private search for Xander, before she realised what her maid had said. "Hang on, does everyone know about this ball? Who's going to be there?"

The lady's maid was giving Willow a strange look at the modern turn of phrase she had adopted without thinking. "Most everyone will be there, miss. It is to be the talk of the season."

And so then Willow had to go. If there was a chance that Xander could find out about this ball and be there looking for her, Willow had to go!

*

"Talk of the bloody season, mate. How can we not go?"

William the Bloody, or Spike as he was now preferring to be called, egged on his sire knowing that he only had to go so far before Angelus would give in and agree to go.

"I don't suppose you're going to talk about anything else until I agree," Angelus said, with very droll humour.

Spike raised his eyebrows. Pale brown hair against dark, and the difference in height between the two men, set them apart. However, both men had the same predatory gleam behind their eyes. Spike's was marred by a grin and a lick of his tongue over canines that hadn't yet extended.

"S'about right, mate. Think of all the pretty pickings as will be there."

Angelus' glower turned towards a bit of a smirk. "I suppose our ladies will forgive us if we return late with presents for them both."

"Bloody right," Spike returned. "We should go to a tailor, make sure we're properly attired for the event."

Xander only heard a handful of the conversation had between the two men, but it wasn't the first conversation about a ball, or some high season event, that he'd heard since taking his first steps out of the alleyway. He knew that the clothes he was wearing weren't going to cut it. The bright Hawaiian shirt he'd been wearing when he came over had already been shrugged off, probably trodden under horses' hooves now, so that none of the offensively bright colours remained. Cause that was the first thing he'd noticed on arriving here. Bright definitely wasn't in. Browns and blacks, some lace, maybe some creams as well, but never summer sky blue and neon yellow. He'd inwardly thanked something that a brown shirt had also been close to the top of that pile of washing when he'd pulled on an undershirt before the Hawaiian one. He stood out just a little bit less now.

But what he was wearing wasn't going to gain him admittance into a high society ball. He didn't even know why he was considering trying to get in, except that the number of times he'd heard 'everyone will be there' had made him think that maybe, just maybe, Willow would be there.

It was probably just wishful thinking but, damnit, Xander didn't know what else to do.

Yet, none of that helped him with his problem on attire.

His fingers worried over a dime store trinket he'd picked up a couple of days before and shoved into his pants pocket. It was a cheap fob watch. He'd thought it might help him look smart in front of Willow, make her quiz him a little less, let him off a little the next time they studied Math together. Now it was the only thing of even remote value that he had to his name. It was a long shot. Maybe the nearby tailor could give him an idea of how much the watch was worth, or if he could sell it, or if he could exchange it for some fancy clothes.

All of those thoughts vanished from Xander's head the second he walked over the threshold to the shop. Chaos. Carnage. Blood. Lots of blood, everywhere.

There had been people in this shop not that long a time ago. Now they were just bodies. The woman with the man who had been trying on a new waistcoat. Dead. The tailor who had been measuring a man for a new pair of pants. Dead. Every single person who had had the misfortune of being in this shop when the massacre had struck was now doomed to death. Xander had lived on the Hellmouth too long not to recognise the scene of this carnage.

Vampires.

At the same time, another familiarity struck him. He'd been disoriented, worried, afraid... he hadn't been thinking clearly but his ears had picked up similarities in the speech pattern of a couple of men who had talked about going to the ball tonight. 'Pretty pickings', one had said. Watchers Diaries. London. Perhaps around the turn of the century. William the Bloody and Angelus had been in those Watcher's Diaries. It had been the reason why Giles had brought them out for them all to read that night. Oh god. William the Bloody and Angelus here.

And Willow.

She didn't know. Even if she wasn't part of the everyone who was going to attend the ball tonight, he had to make sure. Because, if he didn't dress up and play the part of a society gentleman this one time... Xander shuddered. He could all too easily imagine one of the dead bodies on the tailor shop's floor having Willow's red hair.

*


	3. Chapter 3

The ball was... astounding. Nothing that Willow had ever imagined had been so beautiful. People walking in was a dance. The people eating food from the table by the wall was a dance. And the people who were actually dancing...

It looked like they were almost floating on air.

Any other time and Willow would have been completely enjoying this. There was a historical nerd side of her that was sitting there taking mental notes that she'd make sure to remember for later when she was home safely with a pen and paper in hand. But there was another side, thankfully a much larger side, that was scouring the room, and every guest in it, for the sight of Xander's familiar face.

Worry mixed with wonder. It was all she could do not to sigh and fawn like one who had never seen or lived her entire life under such extravagances. And, at the same time, there were too many people. Her lady's maid hadn't been wrong when she'd talked about everyone coming. How would she even know if Xander was here? What if he was wandering through the crowd as she was, and they missed one another? In that case, surely it would be better if she stayed in the same place.

Willow stopped trying to push past everyone. She wasn't short by any standards, but there were women here with all manner of foolish headdresses, and she couldn't hope to see over them all. She sighed heavily, and whispered despondently, "Xander..."

"Perhaps I can alleviate yer loneliness."

"No, thanks, I'm here with..." Willow turned towards the man who'd approached her and gasped before she could stop herself.

Angelus wondered in confusion just what had caused the expression of uncompromising fear at his appearance. He knew without need of a mirror that he was slightly larger across the shoulders than many of the men, but surely not that alone was the cause of such fear. And he hadn’t even revealed his true state to the woman as of yet.

Seeing Angelus’ look of confusion, and interpreting it for what it was, Willow tried forcing herself to calm down. This was ridiculous. She was in another time, for the Goddess’ sake! There was no reason why Angelus would recognise her here when in this time, he had not even met her yet. And if she didn’t wipe this odd expression off her face soon, the vampire ‘without a soul’ was going to pick up that something was very wrong very quickly. Just because he did not know her yet, did not mean that he would be any more hesitant over killing her. Fish had to swim, after all.

Angelus watched closely as the red headed beauty in front of him slowly composed her features into a more acceptable expression and attempted a tremulous smile. It was the smile that overdid it. No one should have to try that hard over a first meeting’s smile. Something here was definitely amiss.

Willow’s smile slipped a couple of notches when Angelus asked her, “Have we met before this night?”

“Met?” she stuttered, leaping on the word far too quickly. With a conscious effort, she slowed herself down, breathing past nervous giggles, and placing her smile back into place a little more naturally. “Why, I don’t think so.”

Angelus lowered lazy eyelids over his eyes, before holding out a hand to hers and saying, “Well, in that case, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Angelus.”

Willow forced herself not to respond at the sound of his name. There was surely no denying it now, if there ever had been. Angelus appeared suddenly to be _very_ interested.

"Well, well. Has my reputation has preceded me? And yet, I don't know who your darling, young self presumes to be."

Willow's jaw worked, trying to push further words out, trying to push past the lump of terror that had settled like a stone inside of her. _He can't hurt me, he won't,_ she tried to reassure herself. _We're in a crowded place, full of people. He won't do anything where people can see me._

But she and Buffy had talked about the stories they'd each found in the Watcher's Diaries about Angelus, and about this time, and so Willow knew better despite her hasty reassurances. Beyond that, she knew that her assertions weren't true. Nobody was looking at her. Angelus could easily take her by the arm and drag her into a quieter setting if he pleased. Willow moaned deep in her throat, and tried to press herself into the throng that was behind her.

Angelus took calm, easy steps for every one she backed away with. "Such a pretty little flower," Angelus said, with a pronounced Irish lilt that Willow had never heard from him. Angelus drew her small hand sitting snugly inside of his up to his lips; his eyes never deviating from her own. “May I have this dance?”

Knowing that it was stupid, beyond stupid, to elongate this association with him, Willow nonetheless found her mouth opening to reply, “Of course.”

There was just something about Angelus that Willow had never witnessed back in Sunnydale. Of course, there was no reason why she ever should have. His sole attentions had ever been focused on Buffy while he’d been with a soul, and then when he’d lost it... well, she really hadn’t gone close enough to him then to draw up an account of any magnetism that may or may not have been present. All Willow knew was that she found herself not wanting to end this contact with him.

The two of them took their game out onto the dance floor; Willow trying to keep any evidence of the strain of knowing and recognising him to herself, and Angelus becoming ever sure that this was someone he was going to have to make a decision on over their continued existence. As Angelus swept her onto the dance floor, Willow realised he was a very good dancer. He was graceful, light on his feet.

"Like a cat," she murmured under her breath.

"What was that?" Angelus looked down at her again. They were very close this time. Willow gulped. Like a very _predatory_ cat. Why was she enjoying this as opposed to trying to figure out the first way out of this again?

"You're graceful," Willow told him, instead of sharing her thoughts. "Like a cat."

"Hmm," Angelus murmured, swinging her around again. He kept an eye on the interplay of emotions flashing across her pale skin and green eyes. How could he not. He had not felt himself this mesmerised with a young woman since Drusilla. And just like Dru, he could feel that there was something special about this one, something that drifted just beneath the surface, begging for him to reach out and touch it.

Willow stiffened slightly as his hand around her hand and waist tightened suddenly, but thought better than to press him on it when she looked up at his face. No, best to change the subject completely.

"Uh... Angelus..?" she said, timidly.

Angelus looked back down to her again, seeing the image of the little, young witch before him, rather than the things he would wish to do to her. Things best done in a bedroom, he thought. No need to drive this one mad, he'd already done that and would be quickly bored with a repeat. But, from the way that she held onto his hand, and the way that her fingers gently kneaded his shoulder as they danced, this young woman was not so pure as Drusilla had been when she'd come to him. Perhaps she already knew some activities in the bedroom already. Well, if that were the case, Angelus would glory in showing her the kind of activities he best enjoyed in the bedroom.

When his attention was drawn back to her a third time, it was to notice the distinct look of discomfort on her face, the way that she was glancing over her shoulders to see if there was anyone close by that could aid her. He deliberately tightened his fingers around hers, hurting her just enough that her attention sprang back to him. The little whimpering sound she unconsciously made just reached his ears over the noise in the rest of the hall.

"My girl," he said, only just holding the endearment back from being a growl. "Yer fear is intoxicating."

*


	4. Chapter 4

The house that was hosting this ball was just a little bit more full than he'd thought it would be. _Wow, they really hadn't been kidding about everyone being here_ , he thought jokingly in his head, before he realised that right now was _really_ not the time for jokes. Still, hadn't they always been told in history class that there had been a whole lot less people living in cities in the past than in the present? If there were a lot less people living, then this place shouldn't be so damn full!

Besides shoving people aside left and right and yelling "Willow!!" through the ball, there didn't seem a fast way of going through with this. He was going to have to wander through here until he was satisfied that he'd caught sight of every single person who was at attendance in this ball, or until he found Willow, whichever happened first. The constant reminder sweeping through his head that he didn't even know if Willow was here wasn't helping.

"Don't get demoralised, Harris, don't get demoralised," he was saying to himself under his breath, when he saw the profile of a man he would have recognised anywhere, and turned quickly away. "You _dunce_ ," he whispered heavily, under his breath. "Be cool. It's not like he's going to recognise you here."

But Xander recognised Spike. The man, well, vampire looked a little different here, dressed in a very fashionable suit that he'd killed to wear. His hair was a light brown as of before he bleached it, and was held back in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck. He didn't have the cruelty yet, Xander thought, that he would come to think of the bleach-blonde vampire with. In fact, he seemed more comfortable here, like this was the time he was supposed to be living in.

And, Xander supposed, if Drusilla had not killed him and turned him, that's exactly what he would have done.

Focus, he told him sharply. No need for Spike to even notice that you're here if you play your cards right. Just get in, find Willow, get out again, and all the way back towards Sunnydale before anything whatsoever got changed.

Like the two of them getting dead. Or trapped. Or trapped and then dead.

Seriously, Xander was leaning heavily on that idea of screaming out her name through the ball until she turned around and found him when he thought he saw her.

Nobody else here seemed to have that bright vivid colour of hair, so when Xander caught sight of a woman talking to a man with longish hair of around Xander's colour, Xander felt the first spring of hope that he'd felt since waking up in that alleyway. The hope was soon dismissed as that man reached out for Willow's hand and she took it, before he turned around and Xander saw it was Angelus.

 _Angelus!!_ Did that mean that Drusilla and Darla were around here somewhere too?

Xander skirted around the dancefloor, keeping Angelus and Willow always in sight, and never actually aware that he himself had gained a vampire admirer of his own.

Spike had many women admirers. Was part of the benefit of being an immortal vampire, wasn't it? Certainly, he'd had nothing like this kind of attention back when he'd simply been 'William'. But there was something about him now, call it an Aura of Darkness perhaps, that made the women flock to him. Women's mothers too, trying to make a match for their little girls, and failing to realise exactly how much of a mistake that would be.

When he'd come here tonight, he'd been of a mind to bring one of these tasty treats back to Drusilla so as they could share her. But they'd been doing that a lot lately. Darla didn't play with them like Angelus did, so they needed to find their additional women elsewhere. But variety... _variety_ was the spice of life, and that was exactly what Spike was thinking when he noticed a pretty young boy darting along behind him.

It had been kind of funny, really. Like the boy knew he felt that forbidden kind of attraction inside of him, but couldn't quite stop himself from looking at the gentlemen. Like Spike was surprised! Leave it to him to attract all of the women, the women's mothers, and a couple of men on the side too!

He'd excused himself fairly quickly from the conversation he'd been part of to embark upon a little bit of hunting of his own.

*

So far... so far so good. Angelus didn't seem to be hurting her. Didn't seem to be doing anything much with Willow apart from dancing with her. And that was okay. Dancing was good. And then, as soon as the song was finished, Angelus would find someone else to bite, and Xander would spirit both of them out of there.

Except, that was only how the whole scenario unfolded according to Xander's over-active imagination.

In actual fact, the longer the dance went on, the more pained Willow seemed to grow, and the less inclined to let go of her Angelus seemed to be. Xander knew that he was going to have to step forward and interrupt on this. It was Willow. Steel covered the jelly of his backbone at that thought, and he stalked towards the vampire who had taken hold of Willow so tight that he'd actually caused her pain.

"Hey!" he said to Angelus. "Don't do that!"

"Oh..." Angelus smirked, looking up and down at Xander, and then glancing with amusement over Xander's shoulder. "Oh, I think I do that."

Xander cringed, not even wanting to know what was likely coming up behind him. In fact, he decided, if he made enough of a fuss, maybe he would be able to successfully negate any kind of power of the vampire that was probably coming up behind him right now.

"No! This is my woman. You can't have her."

"Can I not?" Suddenly Angelus' hand was not just around Willow's hand and waist. Twisting her around, he suddenly had a hand around her throat, pressing her up flush against him.

The little high school girl in Willow swelled up at hearing Xander call her 'his woman', regardless of the fact that she could see that his knees knocking together was the price for this bravery. She didn't have long for that moment of elation, however, before she was completely in Angelus' power, utterly unable to move, and was that... was there something that she could feel pressing against the backside of her skirt?!

"Xander!" Willow cried plaintively, in a voice that was half choked by Angelus' hold. And... if she was so afraid of him, why could she feel a trickle of damp in the apex between her legs? Goddess, she _knew_ she should have tried to escape early on! This wasn't how she had wanted to find Xander again.

"Ho there," called another voice. Another _English_ voice. "Trouble?"

There was no relief to be found at the newcomer's voice. That the newcomer's voice sounded somewhat excited by the prospect of trouble shouldn't have surprised anyone, especially since the newcomer in question was Spike. Xander spun around violently to face Spike, thought better of it, then stepped back a pace so that he was able to keep his eyes on both Angelus and Spike at the same time.

"Yeah there's trouble, _mate_. Your friend has a hold of my woman against her will!"

Xander spat the words out at Spike no different to the way he would have spat them out at Spike had they seen him in current day. Willow marvelled at the difference in the way he responded to Angelus and Spike, a difference that probably had to do with the difference in Xander's age when dealing with the two vampires, and the continued exposure to Spike that they'd had over the years.

"Well..." Spike looked like he was trying to consider what he could do to help this situation. He didn't look like he had to think about it too hard. The look in his eyes as he stared between Angelus and the boy who would try to best him said it all. "Well, we can't have that. If dinner's arriving early..." Spike grabbed Xander by the upper arm and stared into his face so that there could be no mistake. "I might just have found mine!"


	5. Chapter 5

She'd seen vampires move quickly so that they were out of sight before the human eye could comprehend it. She'd just never been in contact with a vampire when he'd been making that quick move.

As if from some silent accord between the two vampires, Angelus and Spike dragged them out of the ball and onto the nearby London street before anyone could raise a cry. Least of all Willow or Xander.

"W-what are you going to do to us?" Willow asked. Her stutter was back now that they were outside the safety of the ball. There never had been any safety inside the ball, she realised now. As soon as she'd arrived, they'd all been doomed.

"I'm thinking I'll keep ye right close to me," Angelus said. As far as words could be, his felt like a caress, almost a promise of things to come. Rose boxes full of maggots, and dead fish, were the first two things to come to Willow's mind. She cringed but, considering their position, that cringe only pushed her closer to him. "Don't fret, m'love," Angelus told her. "I won't hurt ye. No more than ye ask."

The words sent a shiver through her, as well as a further trickle between her legs. She knew better than to whimper this time. Best just to keep passive. Maybe they could find some way to escape when the vampires didn't expect it.

"What's so special about her, mate?" Spike asked, dragging his own little pet along with him. Xander wasn't so much restrained as Willow. That was probably out of Spike's own choosing. He seemed to be the kind of one who would enjoy the fight as much as Xander was in earnest about it.

"She sees things that haven't happened yet. What'll it be like to walk through history knowing how it's going to happen before ye get there?"

Xander paused in his fighting against the direction Spike was pulling him in then, a second later, resumed his efforts twice over. The pause did not go unnoticed by Spike.

"Oh ho, what have we here?" Spike said, pulling Xander up as though he weight nothing. Xander blushed in shame that all of his struggles could have been so easily overcome had Spike even wanted to before. Of course they could. "Know something about that yourself, do you, pet? Can you see the future too?"

"Put me down," Xander gritted. "You're getting nothing out of me."

Spike crowed. "I already have, mate!"

"Fitting playmates for Dru, I wager."

Spike frowned, that comment having lowered his mood somewhat. "Fitting playmates for _us_ , I think you mean."

"What are ye talking about?" Angelus stopped too, and Willow thought desperately, _Don't have a fight, please don't have a fight._ The last thing she wanted was to be between two vampires who were having a fight. "Quit wasting time, Spike. Our women are waiting for us in the manor."

"Yes, our women," Spike murmured, focused more fully on Xander. "Everything focuses on the women. But there are just some things that a woman can't give, if you know what I mean."

Xander jerked sharply at that, his heart leaping to his throat. Did Spike mean... had Spike just said..? Was he drunk?! An unwanted spark of desire shot up his cock. Spike may not have noticed that, but he saw enough that it made him smile, and say, "Knew you had it in you, boy. Was beginning to wonder if you knew it though."

Xander's eyes flashed up; he was giving Willow a terrified 'whatdowedonow?' look, to which she had only one answer of 'Ireallydon'tknow!!!'

Angelus just snorted a laugh. "I like women fine, _William._ " He paused, looking down at Willow and tracing a finger along her jawline. "But I see what you're saying. Perhaps a change is called for."

"Now you're talking!"

Angelus, of course, led the way with Willow, leaving Xander and Spike following a little way behind. Spike didn't seem to mind about this, not at all.

"I think perhaps you fancy me, just a bit, in this future you can see. Am I a sexy devil there?" Spike waggled his eyebrows winningly and Xander had to concentrate on not reacting. Just because his ways of acting towards Spike were established, didn't mean that Spike from more than 100 years before he was used to was acting the way Xander was used to. This Spike was charming, laid back... The way he spoke was similar enough but turns of phrase were used to bring people into a laugh, not to drag them down.

"I don't like you, and you don't like me either," was Xander's weak retort, trying to remind himself of that.

"Ah. Just some playing hard to get, then," Spike returned gently. "I can't imagine not liking you, pet."

Xander realised with surprise that Spike thought he was hurt by Spike's dislike of him in the future. It struck him dumb for a minute, not just because it was _so_ out of character for the Spike that he knew.

"No, no... I..." Xander said, stumbling a bit.

"I know, pet. I know."

But Spike didn't know. Spike didn't realise how dangerously close Xander was realising he could get to craving those kind of gentle remarks from someone he'd convinced himself he hated for the last several years.

*

"At last, we are alone."

Willow quivered as her attention was drawn back to the obsessive vampire. She knew she had to be very careful here. She didn't want to die. Angelus still had her in hand but, now, it was more in the fashion of a man escorting a young woman down the street; her arm tucked into the crook of his. He looked at the terrified, well-kept redhead before him. He reached forward and took a lock of her hair in his hand. She trembled before him.

"So tell me," he said, rather liking the way this night was playing out. "What have ye heard about me that's made ye so fearful?"

Willow peered at him fretfully. He looked like... was he preening in the expected extolling of his vices that she knew? He seemed genuinely to be enjoying this night. There were others who were either leaving the ball or arriving late. None of them would have known, from a glance, that Willow was not by Angelus' side by her choice. Looking at his features, he looked happy. A broad smile donned his features. He may well be the Scourge of Europe, she realised, but the bitterness over the soul that would be forced upon him hadn't honed that cruelty to a sharp point just yet.

"I know that you like to kill people," she said, with some hesitation.

"Anyone who knows about vampires could have heard that. Incidents. Any special... projects I've taken?"

Drusilla came to mind.

"Drusilla..." Willow said heavily. Then, barely daring to ask, "Is that what is to become of me?"

Angelus' preening turned to confusion, then almost to realisation.

"No, darlin," he said and, for a second, Willow felt as though she might be able to take a breath and release her fear. Then he added, "I never pull the same trick twice."

Fear quickly outstripped any enjoyment that she was getting from his sensuous nature or his generous smile. He was a killer. Was she so devoid of common sense or affection that she could be so easily swayed by the charm of the killer just before he pulls out the knife to gut you?

Angelus looked down to her in pleasure.

"Why... yer shaking." Angelus' eyes flashed. "I love it.

"Why... what... what do you want with me?" Willow made a concentrated effort not to flinch as his cold fingers fondled her hair and skin. Keep them talking. That had always worked before.

"Shh..." His forefinger rested on her lips this time. He glanced over her contemplatively. "I wonder if they taste as good as they look..."

"As good as they..?" Willow started to question. She never finished the question, for in that moment, Angelus' lips were pressed against her own. Oddly, she froze not out of fear, but out of what Buffy would say if she had happened to see them. Which was more than stupid. She wouldn't even be alive for another 200 years!

Angelus rested his forehead against hers. "If ye kiss me back, I promise I won't kill ye... today," he said, in a very deep tone.

Willow only just manage to stifle a cry as Angelus' lips took her own for a second time. She kissed him back because she had to. Then she kissed him back because she wanted to. His hands were on her back; fingers digging in almost to the point of pain. But the kiss he gave her was gentle. Gentle, at least, until one of his fangs nipped her lower lip. Against herself, she moaned.

"Just a taste," he whispered, seeming to speak more to himself than to her.

"Angel..."

Angelus pulled back sharply. Willow's eyes widened as the no longer lustful vampire now stared at her threateningly.

"I.. uh.." Nothing. She could come up with nothing. Silently, weakly, she damned the words that failed her.

"I.. uh.." Angelus mimicked her cruelly, then raised his voice to a mocking falsetto. "Oh no, I think I could be in a spot of trouble!" His eyes showed no pity for her plight.

"Angelus, I..."

"And come to think of it," he said, putting a finger on his jaw mock contemplatively, "I've never gone by such a name. So tell me, pretty thing," he said leaning close, real close, to her, "How do you come so comfortably to call me by that other name?"

*


	6. Chapter 6

"Willow!" Distracted as he was with Spike, the danger and raised voices between Angelus and Willow alerted him to danger between the worst vampire in all of history and his longest running best friend.

He would have thrust himself forward, much like he had back at the ball, had Spike not grabbed him and contained him.

"Wouldn't do that, pet." Spike himself was also watching carefully the interaction between Angelus and Willow. "What do you suppose is causing all that, then?" The way Spike phrased it left Xander in no uncertain terms that Spike believed this was something that sprung from his or Willow's fault or, more likely, the fault that they possessed in knowing parts of the future before they happened.

Xander had watched _Back to the Future_ more than could be said was healthy as a boy and teenager. He was not ignorant of the ramifications of someone going back in time and changing the past, wouldn't have been even if it hadn't been one of the things Giles had impressed upon them once towards the end of a long research session.

 _"I can't impress the importance of this fact," Giles had said, to which Buffy and Xander had leaned their heads on the big table in the middle of the library and emulated snoring sounds. Only Willow had been good enough to pretend she was still listening._

None of which helped him right now.

"I think..." Xander took a deep breath. He didn't really know what Willow had told Angelus, what Willow was telling Angelus right now. It didn't make sense to deliberately hold back on something that Willow had already shared and thus earn Spike's enmity. But if she hadn't said anything...

"Yes..?" Spike prompted.

Xander looked again to Willow and Angelus. He was growling at her, but he wasn't advancing on her threateningly or anything. But what did that _mean_ according to what she was telling him?

"I think that there are some things in the future that would make Angel," _shit_ , Xander thought, before trying to naturally take on, "-us displeased to hear."

"Such as..?" The way in which Spike narrowed his eyes also informed Xander that he hadn't missed the stumbling over the older vampire's name. Geez, he was more perceptive than Xander had ever given him credit for, which made him wonder as well whether future!Spike had ever had any idea of Xander's private leanings when things had not been going all that well with the women.

"Such as..." Xander gulped. This was the big one. The one that could change everything they knew about the past and the future. But maybe there was a way to sugar coat it... "Well, you see, Angel.. us isn't exactly the bitey, stabby vampire that you see before you today... in the future."

It was a clunky sentence to say, but that too was one of the unfortunate side-effects of time travel.

Still, Spike seemed to be following the best of what he was getting at. "Oh? And how does that come to pass?"

"I don't know." Xander widened his eyes and tried to do everything he could do, hopefully without overdoing it, to convince Spike that this was the extent of his knowledge. "It's not like I was there with him at the time. There are records... accounts of his behavior, but they leave some stuff out."

Spike looked away from Xander, back towards where Angelus and Willow were talking, with weighty consideration on his face. Xander felt almost giddy with relief. He did it! He had managed not to stuff up the future, well, not to stuff it up _too_ much, and he had also managed to come out of the conversation with Spike alive.

"Come with me," Spike said. Xander probably would have followed after Spike just based on Spike telling him too and, of course, the fact that he was hardly going to leave Willow behind, but Spike didn't know that. Best Xander could try to do was keep up while Spike pulled him along to Angelus.

"WHAT?" the older vampire barked.

Willow looked a little wilted, but she wasn't broken, which Xander decided was a great thing. Still, he mouthed across to her a quick, 'areyouokay?' to which she mouthed back, 'i'mokay' that he had no choice but to take at face value.

"Couldn't help but noticing you're a bit riled up, mate. It's putting a bit of a crimp on the night." Spike was making his best effort at keeping his expression clear of all expressions and judgements.

It could not be said that Angelus was doing the same.

"Ye try enjoying the night when ye've been told about how _good_ ye'll be one day." Angelus glared at Willow, at Spike, at anyone. "I should kill ye right now," he said to Willow, grabbing a hold of her tunic and drawing her close again.

Willow just scrunched up her eyes and waited for the inevitable to happen. _Xander_ , she thought futilely, _I'm so sorry I got you into this!_

Her eyes opened just a little way when she realised that Angelus had let her go and was stalking off in the opposite direction.

"Well?" Willow looked to Spike who was looking at her expectantly. "Are you going to go after him?"

Willow surprised herself. She barely thought yes before she was rushing off after him.

*

"Just what happens to me in this future world of yours?"

Xander blinked at Spike's question. The vampire hadn't said much of anything at all until they'd reached the tavern ahead of Willow and Angelus. Now they were sitting in a booth and the barwench was plying them with drinks and Xander couldn't think that the timing of the question was accidental. "What?" he asked, attempting to buy himself just a little bit of time.

"After Angelus goes all good." Spike raised his eyebrows. "Am I... _good_?"

One could possibly say that...

"Umm... You're not _good_ exactly... but you don't stay by Angelus' side forever either."

Spike's eyes flashed. "Why not? I'm not good enough for him?"

Xander was about to object then realised that that was pretty much the crux of what Xander had seen back in Sunnydale. "Well..." he said, pausing because -god- because he didn't want to hurt the vampire's feelings. "Yeah."

"Christ," Spike muttered. "Balls!" He shook his head as though he could hardly bare to believe this, believe any of it! He took a swig of his drink, finishing half of it in one gulp. "Balls and fucking Christ," he added, shoving the pint back into the wood of the table.

"Yeah... that about sums it up," Xander said softly, taking a smaller mouthful of his beer.

Spike turned on him. "And where are you when all this is playing out?"

"M-me?" Xander stuttered. This was the first time that his place in the timeline had even been considered. The question took him by surprise. "I-I'm just a kid in high school."

"But you know about vampires? Does everyone know about vampires when you're from?"

Good question, Spike, Xander thought. Spike didn't realise how good.

"No. The place where I grow up is kind of a special place."

"Special?" Spike snaps. "How 'special'?"

"You could say," Xander said, trying to sound idle, "it's a Hellmouth."

Spike's mouth dropped open. A couple of seconds later, it slammed shut. The process repeated just once and Xander had to overcome his lips quirking upwards in the face of Spike's bafflement.

Finally, one emotion overcame the rest of them, and Spike's face lit up because of it. "We make it to the Hellmouth!"

This time, finally, Xander did allow his lips to quirk up in a smile that answered Spike's. "Yeah. You do."

Both of their smiles drop at the same time, but for different reasons. "But Angelus is... good?" Spike asked.

Or, maybe, for some of the same ones.

"Yeah," Xander said again. "Angelus is good."

Spike rubbed his hands together. "Right then. Well, that's gonna have to change!"

Xander sat up sharply at that. "No!" he cried out.

"No?" Spike looked surprised, bordering a little bit on angry.

Xander didn't back down. "No! That's one of the defining points in... in... everything!"

"I think ye've got a little bit more explaining to do, Xander-boy," Angelus said, overhearing just that last bit as he strode into the tavern with Willow.

*


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh. Seems like this fic has been nominated for _Best Romance_ over at the [ Sunnydale Memorial Awards.](http://sunnydawards.dragonydreams.com/nominees.html) Seemed like it warranted another chapter :D

Willow's conversation with Angelus wasn't what one could call an even conversation. Even with Willow's experiences with other people talking and her either mumbling or not contributing much to the conversation, her talk with Angelus had seemed very one sided.

He'd bearly touched her. It was almost like... he couldn't bring himself to. At first, she'd flinched every time he lifted a hand to gesture, or every time his eyes flashed and made contact with hers. It hadn't taken Angelus long to notice. Willow wasn't exactly practiced in hiding her emotions from others.

But he didn't say anything about it. Having already established that she knew tales of him as a killer, it probably would have been a waste of his time.

Yet, that didn't gel with some of the other things that had been let out this night.

"If I'm such a good guy when ye know me..." He took a deliberate step towards her, and Willow's entire body tensed up. His eyes narrowed. He continued. "Why are ye so scared of me."

Willow's eyes widened in direct contrast to Angelus' narrowed gaze. Words failed her for a minute.

Angelus barked out, "Answer me!"

"Because of a curse!" Willow cringed even as her words were coming out, but there was nothing she could do to pull them back. Well, nothing apart from turn back time, which she'd already proven she could do, if not to the best of results.

Shallow breaths were coursing in and out of her body. Willow could hear the pounding in her ears. She didn't even dare to glance back up at Angelus, though she also didn't dare take her eyes from his shoes.

Thus, she knew the exact minute when he took another step towards her.

A second later, his fingers were under her chin, lifting her face up, so that she had no choice but to stare back into his eyes. Her eyes were as panicky as his were calm and methodical.

"A... curse?" The voice speaking these words was soft and silken, and Willow wasn't fooled by them for a moment, much as her body leaned into them hopefully. "A curse. Well. There are always ways to avoid such things, especially if one is travelling with the one who knows how it'll happen."

Before Willow had a chance to say anything more, Angelus' hand moved from her chin to her red hair, and took it in his fist. Willow gave a small, shocked sound of pain, and caused Angelus' gaze to fall back on her with some combination of amusement and curiosity. Willow refused to acknowledge any other feeling than pain in reaction to his pulling her to him by her hair.

"Let's get one thing straight," Angelus said very slowly. "Ye belong to me. Yer former life is nothing now. And I always take care of what is mine."

Before Willow could unravel the underlying meanings in that statement, Angelus was pulling her along with an idle muttering of finding Spike and discovering what his childe had uncovered from his little friend.

*

Xander looked up sharply as Angelus entered the tavern with Willow. Any and all comfort that he might have gained from Spike's company evaporated with the older vampire's appearance, and the pained expression on Willow's face.

"Now see, look what you've done." Spike was all displeasure, and not afraid of showing it. "You've made him go all tense again. Just when I was starting to loosen him up. What did you do that for?"

"Quiet, William." That seemed to be Angelus' go-to name for any time Spike annoyed him, Xander thought, and it worked for it both shut Spike up, and caused the younger vampire to glare at Angelus. Surprisingly, Xander found that he was approaching equal parts concerned for both Willow and Spike's treatment at the hands of Angelus.

"Now, look here...!" Xander started, determined to take a stand lest Angelus decide that he was something of a pushover in this time. He'd been too young to make that stand when he'd first met Angel in his own time. Be damned if he'd make the same mistake again. "I dunno why you've gotta be such an ass to everyone, but you're going to stop it right now, understand?"

Angelus growled, instants away from showing his real vampire face. Xander just raised his eyebrows. If Angelus lost control like that, maybe their chances were good. In this tavern, the two vampires were largely outnumbered by the tavern-goers. Perhaps it was a silly thought given the circumstances, but Xander was pretty sure they could 'take them'.

"Yeah," Xander said, definitely pushing his luck. "You heard me."

He might have said more, if not for Spike.

"Xander..." Spike started, lifting a hand to put it on his wrist. The sensation that flooded through Xander at that small piece of contact shocked and went a great deal towards distracting Xander.

Angelus noticed all of that. His eyes went to the physical contact between Spike and Xander, then flashed back to Xander's and, finally, to Spike.

"If ye know what's good for him, ye'll shut yer little pet up," Angelus informed Spike. "Wouldn't want there to be an 'accident'.

That made Spike growl in return. Xander looked at Willow. Her eyes were still on the hand that Spike had settled around Xander's wrist. For one absurd moment, Xander felt bound to pull his arm away, before he realised that a vampire held his arm in that clasp. He was no more able to pull away from Spike than he'd ever been able to pull away from Buffy.

Damnit. Buffy. This was really weird, seeing Angelus with Willow. There was only one time that he'd seen Willow and Angelus alone, in the hall at the school before they'd realised that Angelus was back that time. He didn't think there was even one time he'd come across Angel and Willow alone. As he looked at them, he noticed little things like the contact between he and Spike.

Angelus' hand was resting around the back of Willow's neck. When Xander had first seen that, he'd seen it as a threat, which was part of what had made him go so forcefully on the defensive. Now, though, he wasn't so sure. That hand that was around Willow's neck... the thumb on that hand was idly stroking the dip in Willow's collarbone as though Angelus wasn't even aware of the tenderness of the motion. And Willow wasn't paying attention it, which meant that at least she was used to it enough that it wasn't making her nervous anymore. That was... really strange.

Which kind of explained everything about this night, really.

"We're getting a little distracted from the important issue at hand here." Just like that, Angelus dismissed every single other person, vampire and human, at that table. "There's a little issue of a curse that I'd like examined."

In that moment, he let go his hold on Willow's neck, and prompted her into the booth across from Xander and Spike. Unlike Spike, he had Willow take the side next to the wall, and then sat himself on her other side so that she would be unable to escape. Once he settled, one of Angelus' hands rested on the table. Xander couldn't see the other one.

Xander forced his mind away from the things that Angelus was doing, to the words he was actually saying. His mind struggled a little bit just to keep up. "A c-curse...?" he asked,

"Yes." Angelus' voice was clipped, impatient. Even Spike's ears had perked up at this. Xander could tell from the way he'd suddenly straightened in his chair. Xander didn't dare look at Spike directly. "Willow's covered that much already. What is the curse? Why does it happen?"

His voice really did go to Irish brouge when he got annoyed, Xander noticed. It was something he'd never seen before. "Uh! Um... the curse...!" he started again, completely inanely, before his eyes sought out Willow's, desperately, seeking any sort of cue that would help him in this.

Willow sat suddenly a little straighter in her chair, and Xander had to wonder what Angelus had done to elicit that response. Had he hurt her? Because he wasn't answering?

"It's a curse that... that... ensouls you. It makes you good," Xander said quickly, paying real attention to Willow now, making sure that there were no more signs of discomfort coming from her.

Willow relaxed a little, but there was something in Willow's eyes, a sort of evasiveness, that made Xander feel worried still.

Beside him, Spike chuckled. "A vampire with a soul? What a demented venture! Does it even work?"

"It works," Xander said with a frown. "It works until... a moment of true happiness."

Spike shifted. Xander felt the press of his thigh against his. "Is that so? Is Angelus the only one to get one of these 'vampire souls'?"

"It's just a regular soul," Xander started, trying hard to keep his voice steady as he addressed Spike. From the smirk on the vampire's features, Xander guessed that Spike knew exactly what havok he was playing on Xander's mind. "And yeah. It's just Angelus."

"Well, well!" Spike grinned broadly then, before turning to look at Angelus. He was in very good spirits, strangely good spirits, considering. "Anything else you wanted to know, sire?"

"I'm sure I'll think of many more things," Angelus murmured pleasantly. "As the time passes."

Beside him, Willow squealed, and squirmed in her seat. Angelus had a very lazy look in his eyes, and a small curve to his lips. Even Spike seemed more than a little bit amused. Xander became very aware all over again that he really couldn't see Angelus' hand, couldn't see whatever it was doing under the table, couldn't save Willow.

"Stop... _doing_ that, whatever you're doing!" Xander cried out. "I've told you everything I know."

"Interesting thing, innit." This time, Angelus didn't even bother looking at Xander. All of his attention was based squarely on Willow. "Ye think that I'm hurting her, so ye tell me everything I want to know." Angelus turned for a brief moment from his conquest, to bestow upon Xander a grin. His teeth glinted in the dim light of the tavern. "But, if ye asked Willow, I'm sure she'd be saying she didn't want me to stop."


	8. Chapter 8

Willow closed her eyes tight against... whatever expression Xander was going to pull in return to Angelus' revelation. No words crossed the table and, in a way, not hearing Xander react, not seeing him react, grew worse and worse as the seconds ticked past.

What must he think of her? What would Buffy think of her? What would Xander and Buffy both think of her once this spell finally ended and they got back to their own time, and Xander told her what had happened between Willow and Angelus?

Goddess help her, Angelus was doing terrible, wonderful, things to her under the cover of the table, and Willow was loving every minute of it. Okay, well, maybe not this minute of it, that was seeming to stretch out forever with no reprieve in sight...

"Come now, luv." Spike. "It mustn't be so horrible as that. We're all adults here."

A beat. Then, "Open yer eyes. I want ye to tell Xander ye no longer require his services as a white knight." Angelus. And a chuckle at his own wit.

Well, she could hardly refuse that. If the situation was untenable as it was, ignoring or side-stepping a direct order like that was surely to land her in a situation even worse than the one she currently found herself in.

At least, for the moment, Angelus' fingers were no currently busy making her jump and start and shudder in the ways he'd been doing since they got here. She opened her eyes. Xander was still there at the table, diagonally opposite to her. He looked as though he was somehow trying to make all of this a lot less awkward for both of them, but the way that he kept avoiding her eyes was making it worse than she'd ever thought it could be.

Willow turned to Angelus. Her lips parted. "Please..." she whispered.

Across the table, Spike laughed. "You got her begging already? Well _done_."

Angelus frowned. He, if not Spike, knew exactly what she was pleading for. A favour from him, not simply _for_ him. A tense moment followed, where she didn't dare to look away.

Then, "I grow tired of this tavern. The music is terrible enough it makes me want to kill all the players. Come." He stood abruptly, and Willow felt relief flush her body as she hurried to join him.

Just as she stood, Angelus' fingers curved around her neck. She might have been fine with that -it was, after all, the way they'd arrived- except for the hand that flattened against her hip. Xander, she saw, was staring at them again. Had been staring at them from the point when Angelus announced that they were going to leave. Her best friend's eyes were wide, and Willow couldn't blame him for that. If he couldn't believe what he was seeing, she couldn't believe what she was willingly participating in. If she didn't have the ability to object, that hardly mattered since her body had been betraying her almost from the first minute she'd seen Angelus. He drew himself up against her, and her body shuddered, which was extra embarrassing because she was still looking at Xander at the time.

Angelus' lips were right by her ear. "Tell him," he whispered, but it wasn't a whisper like normal people do it. It was a stage whisper, one that was easily heard by Xander, and most certainly was heard by Xander, if the flush that went through to the roots of his hair was anything to go by.

Feeling the tips of Angelus' fingers suddenly dig into her hip, Willow knew she had to do something fast, to escape Angelus' ire. There would be no saving her from it this time. Nothing to do but exactly what he asked.

"I don't need your..." Willow faltered. Xander was starting to do that looking away from her thing again. "Your white knight s-services any... anymore." She ducked her head, before anything from Xander would tell her exactly just how lowered in his esteem she had just fallen.

But Angelus was not finished with her yet. "And...?" he prompted.

Willow bit her lip.

Astoundingly, it was at that point that Xander found his voice again. "Go on, Will. You can do it."

Her eyes darted back to his again. Best friends, darted through her head without prompting. Xander just caught her eye and nodded once. They'd gotten through so many things through the 10 years of their friendship. This was just another thing. Somehow, seeing that returned to her all the confidence that had been lacking. He didn't hate her. Wouldn't hate her, whatever she said here.

"I want this," she uttered, meaning every word of it.

"I don't get it," Xander said, with a small shake of his head. "But if you really want it..." He let the words drop, waiting for her to accent or argue this point. Willow nodded, even as she wondered what Xander thought he could do if she didn't want this. "Then that's good." He nodded again, firmly, as if some inner voice was telling him that was the way to reassure his best friend.

Angelus' fingers trailed from her hip, down her leg. "There now," he said, speaking into her ear, but likely to both humans. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

In front of Xander, and Spike, and the rest of the whole tavern, Angelus nipped at the corner of Willow's ear. Never one for public displays of affection, really, Willow was only a little surprised when her knees only gave out. That was just something that was going to keep happening around Angelus, she supposed. Then, she wondered just how much of her weight Angelus was currently supporting.

"We'll be off now," Angelus said, as though the evening had been some great triumph. Considering that he had just found out he'd been ensouled at some point in the, well, future, that was some feat. But, Willow supposed that if he thought he had learned everything from them, he might just assume that it would be as simple to avoid any of it actually happening to him.

*

"I'm very proud of you."

Xander was surprised, either because he'd forgotten Spike was there, or because Spike had noticed something Xander had done that was to be proud of.

But, this Spike was observant, Xander reminded himself. He was turning to say something of that nature to Spike, try to keep the nature of the conversation on light and familiar ground. Spike got there first.

"Seems like you and your girl needed to do a bit of growing up."

Suddenly, one of Spike's hands wasn't all that visible over the table either. Xander tensed, then panted, then tried, and failed, to pretend like nothing all that interesting was going on down there at all.

Spike's voice was husky, deep. His eyes didn't drift away from Xander's for a second. "Glad you could do that bit of growing up around us, luv."

*

"Yer a witch."

Willow blinked. It wasn't exactly the way that she'd expected to wake up after what could only be termed a 'power nap', but it wasn't so strange either. Clearly, from the face of the familiar vampire staring down at her, she was still living in the spell. Her and Xander were still in the past, and she was currently in bed with Angelus.

She played the activities of the night before in her mind.

She had just had sex with this vampire, her best friend's first proper boyfriend.

And Angelus was smiling.

Not in a way that was horrible. Not in a way that indicated that he was about to rip out her spine and then turn her into a vampire just to promote that doing something different to what he'd done to Drusilla. Angelus had already been without a soul when he'd slept with her; already been a monster. So, when they woke up together this morning, he had no more desire to hurt her than he'd had when they'd gone to bed together the night before.

"Yer a witch," Angelus said again, and Willow caught her hand before she reached out idly to stroke the bare, creamy skin of the man who had just become her lover. Angelus eyed that hand, but didn't do anything either to support her caress, or to stop it. "So, maybe I shouldn't be surprised that you've bespelled me."

Willow's lips parted.

"I've..."

There wasn't the softness in Angelus' gaze that Willow might have expected to come from someone who had just expressed such feelings. Then he wasn't looking at her at all. He turned from the dishevelled bed and she had a clear sight of his buttocks that he made no effort to hide.

After locating a not too rumpled tunic, Angelus turned again, to find Willow staring. He smirked, approving that she was staring. That approving led him to draw closer to her again, to steal her lips in a kiss that she most willingly returned.

"Don't think this'll make it any easier to escape my clutches."

No, she thought to herself. She could all too well believe it. Angelus lifted her chin, held it firm in his hand. Willow simply stared back at him. She could only imagine the sight she presented. She felt as dishevelled as the bed.

"Yer mine."

Willow felt immediately compelled to nod. As much as she could with his hand restraining her chin.

He left on that note. Willow stayed still on the bed for a long time after he was gone, alone with her thoughts.


End file.
